Did Jordan know which superstars to ask?

July 21, 2010

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Michael Jordan says he never wanted to play on the same time with other NBA superstars. Judging by some of his moves in the Charlotte Bobcats front office, perhaps he didn't know who to ask. GETTY IMAGES

Michael Jordan says he never wanted to play on the same time with other NBA superstars. Judging by some of his moves in the Charlotte Bobcats front office, perhaps he didn't know who to ask. GETTY IMAGES

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, even in sports:

Action: Michael Jordan says he never wanted to play on the same team with other NBA superstars, the way LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will in Miami.

Reaction: Jordan is the guy who traded Richard Hamilton and drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison. So he might not have known which superstars to ask. Besides, in Chicago he kept pestering Bulls general manager Jerry Krause to trade for washed-up Tar Heels.

A: Magic Johnson also said he never imagined playing with Larry Bird, saying that "from college, I was trying to figure out how to beat him."

R: Yes, but Magic and Bird were pioneers in taking less money to let their franchises bring in top teammates. LCD (LeBron, Chris and Dwyane) has done the same. People are having trouble getting past James' tacky methods of arranging this. The truth is that it makes basketball sense. It is not just marketing.

A: Pat Haden becomes USC's athletic director with former high school and college teammate J.K. McKay overseeing the football program.

R: As several readers have pointed out, the Wednesday column was incorrect when it claimed McKay caught Haden's 2-point conversion in the '75 Rose Bowl. It was Shelton Diggs instead.

A: British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen buys a John Deere tractor with part of his purse.

R: From recognizing Nelson Mandela's birthday in his acceptance speech, to buying champagne for the media the way Tony Lema did at St. Andrews in 1964, to upholding his commitment to play in Sweden this week, Oosthuizen has shown grace and perspective. And his 7-stroke victory was easily the most dominating in a major championship since Tiger Woods at the 2000 British. Here's hoping he can follow it up.

A: Oosthuizen hit 83 percent of his greens for the week and had 25 one-putts.

R: The St. Andrews greens are as plump as Nebraska, but Oosthuizen had to hit it close to make that many putts. Had he blown his 4-shot, 54-hole lead, the media would have rattled off Van De Velde jokes and consigned him to history's basement. Instead, his victory was called "boring" by some of the literati. Brilliance is never boring.

A: ESPN televised the entire Open Championship for the first time.

R: It's hilarious when the Boys From Bristol find themselves on unfamiliar turf. Resorting to Boston analogies when in doubt, they likened St. Andrews to Fenway Park. But residents of St. Andrews were permitted to play golf, by charter, in 1552. Fenway Park opened in 1912. That's like comparing London with Laguna Niguel.

A: Tiger Woods finishes 23rd at the British after a Thursday 67.

R: From afar, two problems. Woods has lost the habit of making 10-footers to save par. That both energized him and sapped the opposition. And it appears he is trying too desperately to break through so he can change the whole narrative. Winning never seemed so hard before.

A: Woods has 14 major championship victories, four fewer than record-holder Jack Nicklaus.

R: Tiger turns 35 in December. What once seemed inevitable now only seems probable. He is 0-for-his-previous-7 majors. As Charlie Rymer of The Golf Channel pointed out, a player can pretty much count on entering the Hall of Fame if he wins four majors. Neither Ernie Els nor Vijay Sing has done it. "So Tiger will have to have a Hall of Fame career from this point forward to catch Nicklaus," Rymer said.

A: The Ducks sign Danny Syvret, a defenseman who was Corey Perry's teammates in juniors.

R: One day we'll get answers on Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne, but the Ducks probably will exhaust the possibilities of signing Andy Sutton first. Sutton, a free agent who was with the Islanders and Ottawa last year, is 35 years old, but also 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds.

A: Ilya Kovalchuk's 17-year, $102 million contract with New Jersey is rejected by the NHL.

R: Will the Kings re-re-re-enter the Kovy auction? According to Craig Custance of the Sporting News, their offer stopped at 15 years, $80 million.

A: Toronto GM Brian Burke says defenseman Tomas Kaberle is available for the right offer.

R: The right offer is a productive top-6 forward and if the Ducks could offer one who isn't named Ryan, they could do some business.

A: Ottawa winger Mike Fisher marries country star Carrie Underwood.

R: Now, if they want to sign a 17-year contract, the NHL has no problem. Some would say this was the best free-agent acquisition of the summer.

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